Copan - Cobblestone, Ruins, and Soccer

The founder of our school, Graciela, and her daughter, Vanessa (she is a teacher at the school and the one who recruited us and helped us with all our needs), invited us to join them and some others on a trip to Copan. They knew a bus owner who was driving a group so it would be direct and free. We instantly agreed. We were told to meet them Saturday morning in the central park at 6:00am to get on the bus.

We knew the bus would never leave on time so we woke up, ate breakfast, packed, and got to the park at 6:15am. Of course we were the first ones to arrive. The others slowly trickled in and we boarded the bus at 7:30am. The people we knew were Graciela, Vanessa, her adorable 3 year old son Anthony, the P.E. teacher from our school and his wife, the high school principal and her husband, and the others were strangers, mostly 20-something men and women.
(In the photo left to right: Christina, Graciela, Anthony, Vanessa, me) I spent the ride alternating between sleep (which was difficult since the driver was blaring music the entire ride. Quite a varied selection: reggaeton, Kenny Rodgers, CCR, John Fogerty, Bob Marley, Shakira, George Jones, R.E.M., UB40, etc.) and absorbing the breathtaking landscape of grass fields, lush mountains, pine forests, farms, and small villages. We stopped once to use the restrooms and eat a snack. After about 6 hours we reached Copan. It is right on the Guatemalan border.Copan is an adorable little town with cobblestone streets, red tile roofs, Honduran handicrafts, and three-wheeled scooter taxis. It is protected by the government so only certain vehicles are allowed to drive on the roads. Our bus had to park outside town. Christina and I walked around exploring all the artisan shops. I bought a few Christmas gifts.

We went to a restaurant stuffed with antiques: records, sewing machines, typewriters, etc. Very much to my liking. On the way out, I discovered this old movie projector.

We went back to the hotel to shower. The hotel was a maze of confusion trying to find our way up stairs, around corners, and over bridges to find the room.
It was very nice though and pretty cheap 150 lemps each (about $8). It was freezing at night though because all the hotel gave us was sheets and no blankets (very common in Honduras. Most hotels also do not provide towels, you have to bring your own. This is due to the fact that they usually have to hand wash and air dry everything). I slept in long pants, socks, and a thermal long sleeve shirt. In the middle of the night my feet were so cold I pulled my sweatshirt on over my feet and wore it as pants. (This was the same experience we had freezing at the Jungle River Lodge in Pico Bonito). I slept curled up in a ball with the blanket over my head trying to trap in as much heat as possible. I hate being cold! Christina and I went to dinner and strolled around town. We met a business owner from Chico, California. He had never been to Honduras before but somehow heard about a tavern for sale. He came down to check it out and immediately bought it and moved here. It was now a year and a half later and he seemed very happy with his decision so far. The boy's got guts.
We were told to meet downstairs at 8:00am to leave for the Mayan ruins. So of course Sunday morning when we walked downstairs at 8:00am only one person was there and they told us we would leave at 9:30am. So we went and got breakfast and walked around town. We met back at 9:30am and waited awhile. People finally began walking to the bus. We left promptly at 10:30am.

The Copan Mayan ruins are just outside the center of town so the bus ride was only 5 minutes. Because the cost of living and income in Honduras is so much lower than the U.S., most tourist places have different prices for Hondurans and for foreigners. The ruins is no exception. The rate for Hondurans is 80 lemps ($4) and for foreigners is 280 lemps ($15). Christina and I were hoping since we were with a large group of Hondurans we would be able to get in for the cheaper rate because we couldn't afford 280 lemps. The principal had us stay in the back and told us not to speak (to hide our limited Spanish abilities). Unfortunately they asked my citizenship and I was charged the foreigner rate (Graciela luckily offered to split it with me because she did not want me to miss the ruins). Due to Christina's dark skin and eye color, she was able to slip in with the Honduran rate (She also generously offered to split the difference of her and my entrance fees). At the entrance there were many macaws, the national bird of Honduras.
There were also a few of these rodent-like creatures. It is most likely an agouti (thanks sharky).
The ruin grounds were fairly large. They have guides you can hire to give you more information and history but it costs extra and we didn't have that much time anyway. They also have tunnels you can explore but they also cost extra. We got to see some intricate statues. There was a larger than life head.There was a soccer stadium where we were told that it was the Mayan custom to offer the losing team as a human sacrifice to the gods. I think you would quickly run out of soccer players. There were many other buildings also. You could climb on top of some and get a good view of the surrounding countryside.These stones had inscriptions which tell the entire history of the Mayan civilization. They are so important to the Mayan people, one guide was heard comparing them to the Bible.We headed back to the bus at noon for the ride to the soccer game (this was the main purpose of the trip for the other passengers). At 2:30pm we arrived in Santa Rosa de Copan. Everyone on the bus were huge fans of the Tegucigalpa soccer team, Olimpia. The majority donned soccer jerseys in support. We parked an walked up the dirt road to the stadium. The street was packed with people selling tickets "por sol o por sombra" (for sun or for shade), people begging for money so they could watch the game, and vendors selling jerseys, hats, scarves, etc. We bought the tickets for sun as they were cheaper, 120 lemps ($6). We got inside the gate, our purses were searched by police, and tried to find seats. The stands were already packed, mostly with men. At one point we passed a group of fans from the opposing team and they squirted water on us. We found seats in the first row of the bleachers. I don't think I would have liked being squished in rows further back. It seemed impossible to escape and very claustrophobic. And the back row had no railing so you could just fall right off. In front of the bleachers was a small walkway where vendors continually passed selling peanuts, soda, ice cream, water, chips, and team paraphernalia. Then there was a high, barbed wire fence surrounding the field. Many people we pushed up against it to watch. Some people even climbed it to get a better view. A few people set off fireworks which were illegal. Apparently Olympia has a large, dedicated group of super fans that travel to every game to watch them. These super fans consisted of 18-24 year old gutter punks. They were the only cheerleaders around and tirelessly chanted songs throughout the entire game. The hung flags from the fence. I liked them immediately. At one point they even sprayed a fire extinguisher towards the stands...which caused the police in their riot gear to appear. There was some pushing and shoving amongst fans but no real fights broke out. Behind the stands you could buy freshly made pupusas and soda and beer. Unlike in the states, no one here was really drinking. I am sure this helped stem the violence. I think the game would have been a lot scarier if they were all drunk.As I am not really much of a sports fan, Christina, Vanessa, and I all decided to leave after the first half. We walked to the gate and found ourselves locked inside. The police explained that they always lock the gate until the second half starts. Then they unlock it and anyone can come in for free. So we waited about 5 minutes and they opened up the gate. If you notice, Hondurans seem to have an obsession with confetti. We went back to the bus. While waiting for the others, I walked across the street to a building and asked the guard to use the restroom. I forgot to mention earlier that the stadium had no restroom (and we were locked in remember. The men just went wherever they wanted but what were the ladies to do? There wasn't even a bush or wall to hide behind). The guard led me to his office, which he apparently sleeps in. Here was his bedroom: And here was his bathroom (which he allowed me to use. No toilet seat, but I had toilet paper in my purse since I make a habit of carrying some with me everywhere here):Once the game ended, all the others returned to the bus. We headed back to Tela at 5:00pm. Yet again, the bus driver blared his random assortment of music the entire ride. The boys in the back of the bus got a bit rowdy, yelling, farting, dancing with each other, tossing around a prophylactic balloon, and other generally annoying behavior. They continued in this fashion most of the ride.

We stopped in Progresso for food. Unfortunately, they stopped at Burger King. Yuck, if they only knew what they were eating! A little after 10:00pm we reached Tela. The weekend was very fun and jam-packed. I couldn't believe we had only left the day before and accomplished all that.

Oh, and if you notice, it was nice and sunny all weekend...the next day in Tela it was raining and it hasn't stopped since. It is more flooded here than ever. My homemade rock walkway is fully covered with water drenching our feet when leaving and returning. The water has been shut off again also. We'll see how long it is off for. We wanted to go to Roatan, one of the bay islands, for Thanksgiving weekend but it is raining there also. We may head inland to Tegucigalpa, the capital, and hope for drier weather. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and save a turkey's life.